Chimeras #2

4/29/05: CNN
"Particularly worrisome to some scientists are the nightmare scenarios that could arise from the mixing of brain cells: What if a human mind somehow got trapped inside a sheep's head?
The "idea that human neuronal cells might participate in 'higher order' brain functions in a non-human animal, however unlikely that may be, raises concerns that need to be considered," the Academies report warned."


Nightmare scenarios? This quote demonstrates how much today we misunderstand the connection between the brain and consciousness, between our nerves and our "am-ness" and all we consider human. The replacement of one species' nerve cells for another's, or the inclusion of one species' nerve cells with another's, is viewed as tantamount to mixing the consciousness of these two species. What this level of understanding fails to appreciate or acknowledge is that the connection pattern of nerve cells determines their "higher level" effects, like consciousness, not the cells' origin. This is going to be a paradigm shift for much of humanity.

“Nobody’s proven that!" I can hear someone say... You're right of course, but that is the way it is. And sooner or later (probably sooner) someone will do the experiment to prove it. Interestingly there are those who would prohibit this experiment, as if they know the result!

To be clear, one could replace the nerve cells of a human with nerve cells from a pig, and if the pattern of connection were the same as it was originally, the consciousness of the resulting individual would be the same as it was prior to the substitutions (except, perhaps for a new propensity to wallow in the mud...). Of course this experiment will not occur soon for several reasons, not the greatest of which is the discomfort people have with placing another species' neurons in a human being. A more practical obstacle to managing this effect is our quite total lack of understanding how brain cells connect both initially (as the body is constructed) and later in life as the brain matures and learns.

However, at some point, it may be possible to place one species' neurons in a different species in sufficient amounts that functions linked with neurons in that brain area will be from a species different than the host species. This accomplishment, while of little practical value in and of itself, will no doubt be a challenge for anyone who regards our human-ness as requiring a human genotype.

In this way, science and research are sure to press our old ways of thinking about ourselves into new form.

What is important to realize in this situation is how our current ideas about self and consciousness may interfere with us learning just how self and consciousness arises from a clump of neurons. Those who might wish to prohibit such explorations may justify their positions based upon "nightmare scenarios" of their imagining. It will be necessary to point out (again, since this is a common habit of righteous ignorance) that their premise is baseless without data, and may (likely) prevent us from learning precisely what we need to know to "improve our lot", as the Brits might say it. Since proving by experiment the primacy of organization over substrate will shatter our imaginings about who we are as humans (we are actually beings, not humans, when it comes to this level of considering), it seems likely it will be an important reason people will hinder research of this type: to protect their paradigm, their belief and traditional understanding, even if (and perhaps because) it is shallow and erroneous.

Dealing with such attitudes contributes to the shape of the path of human advancement.